esea contemporary

It's tiny. Which isn't a negative thing. They totally use their space well. The staff were great and welcomed the children wonderfully. The exhibitions were labelled well, and caught our interest. Ranging from fantastical and eerie, through to downright scary... Although these will obviously change from time to time. We cannot wait to visit again and will definitely be regulars. Xxx

I went to esea contemporary to visit a multimedia art installation yesterday. I liked the vibes and easy access from the Victoria station to this place. The staff are nice and friendly and they provided information that we were asking about.

Great institution in support of Asian and East Asian art and culture in the Uk. Worth a visit

A small but very well presented and run gallery with interesting exhibits.

Straight away and you are welcomed by some attentive and lovely staff that give you a great introduction to the gallery. The building is beautiful and the current exhibit by Jane Jin Kaisen is very interesting and moving.

The Esea public gallery was quite snug, with welcoming staff and involved a film about fishing people and objects they've collected. That was all they had really , but it was nice to visit and it's very close to the Manchester Arndale and the makers workshop

A very small place, with one or two small exhibitions at a time. The best time to go is on the third Thursday of each month where the resident artist will hold an open exhibition of their work. I would go if you happen to pass by, but it's not something to plan your trip around seeing.

Fantastic little place with plenty of history. Modern and accessible this place is a key stone of Chinese arts. They are currently as of Feb 2016 doing a retrospective on the history of the CFCCA along with tie in to Chinese new year so well worth a visit!

When it was based in China Town amidst the dozens of characterful grocery stores, bakeries and restaurants, the Chinese Arts Centre seemed to flourish. Since moving to it's new premises in the Northern Quarter however, the art gallery seems to have hit a wall. They still put on some promising exhibitions by emerging and established Chinese photographers, film makers and visual artists but for some reason they fail to attract the number of visitors other local galleries do. Part of the problem seems to be the location and the fact there's no genuine buzz about the centre. The building itself also feels too quiet and empty with more members of staff than the public on certain days! I'm sure I'm not the first to suggest it but I can't imagine things improving unless CAC changes location to somewhere it's embraced by the local community more. Failing that, some music in the building might make it seem more inviting?

The CAC is one of Manchester's lesser-visited art hotspots, and I agree with Sarah-Jane, it's kind of a shame, really. I mean, it's a lovely place, full of fascinating Chinese art that you just won't see anywhere. But sometimes when you walk in, it can feel a bit...dead. For me, though, that quickly dissipates once you walk around a bit, and get lost in the art. Oooh, that sounded a bit poncey, didn't it! Get lost in the art, eh? Who do I think I am!? Seriously though, one of my favourite things about Chinese art (and by extension, the CAC) is the immersive quality of the work. Chinese art, in general, is reflective and deep. I especially like work by female Chinese artists, and the CAC provides this in droves, recently hosting a series of live-art performances by Ying-Mei Duan, whose performances are stunning in their pared-down simplicity. Sarah Tse's current exhibition is at the other end of the scale, with her cutesy pencil drawings exploring themes of dreams and childhood. The range of art on show at any time here changes at a fairly steady rate; don't expect an exhibition to stick around for more than a couple of months, and keep an eye out for short-term pieces. Those of you who like tea will be delighted by the Tea House, serving authentic Chinese teas such as rose bud and peony. It's a nice touch, and a great place to wind down with friends. Tea Snob Friend gives it her TSF seal of approval! Right now, I am very exciting about the upcoming Open Studio with Jamie Lau, which will be open daily from Feb 6th. With free admission to all exhibits, it's always worth a visit to the CAC, to soak up a little bit of culture and see something that you probably won't see anywhere else in Manchester.

Manchester's Chinese Art Centre is a beautiful little sanctuary in the middle of the city displaying a great selection of contemporary Chinese Art. The CAC is based in a beautiful building in the middle of the Northern Quarter, but sadly despite being in an art area, the CAC always seems a bit vacant. The Centre used to be in China Town itself (which makes more sense) and was much busier and active. That said, there is a lovely peaceful atmosphere in the CAC and its definitely worth a look. Once you've taken a stroll around the gallery wander into the tearoom and try one of their beautifully delicate teas. I'd recommend the White Peony for a refreshing brew, or the Love at First Sight flowering tea which is as delicious as it is beautiful. The Centre also operates as an educational venue offering workshops and masterclasses, and as an agency for picking up local talent which meets their criteria. They hols regular artist meetings and networking events which link the local Chinese and arts communities together nicely.

OMG if you haven't celebrated Chinese New Year yet, shame on you! You still have time to get down to see Xu Bing's 'Book from the Ground' (until the 28th Feb) at this gem of a place. The show displays the creation of a novel about a day in the life of Mr Black, written in icon(ic) symbols and a universal language we know as pictograms, logos, illustrative signs and emoticons, reminiscent of Chinese characters, in fact. Want to show you my text of "now I should go for lunch" so hope I can attach photos. :-/ (new to Yelp) And make sure you watch the video! There's also displays on Chinese graffiti and the 30 year anniversary of the CFCCA which is pretty cool too. Go to this place!

Yelp told me there was an exhibition by Stanley Chow open until the summer, I thought I'd pop in and immerse in some Chinese culture as part of Chinese New Year. The centre was easy to find and there are three main spaces: on the corner of the ground floor with large windows which was showcasing graffiti and street art; a room at the back which has an exhibition by Xu Bing at the moment - this was fun and there are two computers for you to interact with; and down the stairs where you'd walk past a wall showing the InStanGram exhibition - you'd like this if you've grown up surrounded by these familiar images. Overall the centre was a beautiful space to wander around but it is quite small.

This was a surprise find as we walked around looking for a way to get out of the rain. The centre has been in Manchester for a couple of decades now, providing an excellent way of culturally connecting the city with China. The place is very small, with only two exhibition spaces, each with regularly changing exhibitions by Chinese artists. Although I enjoyed taking a quick look at these, what particularly interested me was a large collage dedicated to the history of the centre and how it has played a central role in culture in Manchester. There is also a small shop in the centre, selling several interesting things. You really won't spend a long time in here, but it's worth a quick stop to learn something about the world's most populated country and its culture.

Manchester's other, other gallery, the Chinese Arts Centre, is host to a selection of current work by new, interesting Chinese and Chinese-English artists. At the moment the gallery is running a number of excellent exhibitions including Lan Wei's 'Decaying End' which focuses on the burst of the Pan-Asian property bubble in the late 1990's through photographs of halted, and now crumbling, building projects. By choosing to focus on not only drawing and sculpture but also photography and video installation work, the CAC provides an alternative to the some of the more traditional painting and portraiture found at the Central and Whitworth art galleries. Go for an hour or two's distraction and you'll soon find yourself immersed in landscapes, stories and a world of ideas you might never have thought existed and the great Chinese teashop attached provides the perfect arena for an artistic post-mortem afterwards.

This centre was established in 1986 and is a perfect reflection of the fact that Manchester has a beautiful cultural diversity in having the second largest chinese population in the UK. Dedicated to the promotion of contemporary chinese art and interpretation of the countrys culture, this smart addition to manchester's gallery assortment also boasts a terrific teahouse.

Manchester has the secon largest chinese population in the UK and this place does its bit to reflect the city's cultural diversity. Dedicated to the promotion of contemporary chinese art and interpretation of the countrys culture, this smart addition to manchester's gallery assortment also boasts a terrific teahouse. Highly recommended for any manchester resident or for anyone visiting manchester for the first time, make this place a priority to visit.

A lovely little gallery in the Northern Quarter. The exhibitions are always unusual and you can duck in for a quick wander as you're passing through the area. The gallery only has two or three exhibition spaces so it is easy to digest. There are often artists in residence in one of the front rooms who will often have their work available to view.

Free to visit and in a good location.This place contains contempory/modern chinese arts and the interpretation of chinese culture in the region.My favourite thing sbout this building was the on site tea house with a large selection ofteas which you could either try there or take home with you.lovely!!!.The shop also sells some delightful gifts and stationary.

Whilst visiting my boyfriend in London I have, on occasion, had the rather unfortunate ordeal of experiencing the so-called international centre of arts that is the East London art scene. Here, galleries are disguised as warehouses and entry can only be obtained at the push of a doorbell, shortly after which you will be 'greeted' by a sullen hipster on work experience, clearly peeved that someone has disturbed him from the peace and quiet of the office. The Chinese Arts Centre is not like this. Situated in the ever growing Northern Quarter, the Chinese Arts Centre provides a welcoming environment, where you can not only see the art of up and coming artists from China and Hong Kong but relax in the lounge with a pot of fresh Chinese leaf tea, with shelves full of conveniently prepared teapots at your disposal. The gallery itself is a good size, and when I visited there was a group show displaying many interesting pieces varying from sculptures, video and drawing. The gift shop is also a delight, stocking many beautiful oriental cards and all the authentic character writing stationary and notebooks.